Friday, June 28, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
To My Kids Someday:
I want to say something to you. I want to say it in as non-confrontational a way as I can, but I do feel strongly about it. So regardless of how I'd like it to sound, this may come out more Jeffrey R. Holland than Richard G. Scott....
My little children--my chickens, my fairy children--you must know something about me, with utter and complete finality: I believe we have a prophet. Here. On the earth today. And I believe--absolutely believe!--that he is the mouthpiece of the Lord.
So I begin to get nervous... then agitated... then a little hot-tempered.... then back to nervous... when I see members of the church begin to follow the tricky trends I see outside in the world in regards to how knowledge is got.
Here, let me expound. I am a smart person. The truth is that I am probably smarter than most people I know (oh boy, sorry to everyone I just pissed off with that comment. There goes my whole readership...of six!). My IQ is really high. I'm logical. I figure things out quickly and easily. I thirst for knowledge about everything. Everything! I want to know how, why, what for, where from, which way, etc, etc, etc. I do not like not knowing. I am my father's daughter. I am smart and I want to know. I have to know! So I seek truth everywhere. I seek it in books and literature, in textbooks and classes, on internet sources and in discussions. I ask questions. I study. I research. I learn. I talk to people. I change my opinions. I correct myself. Sometimes I correct others (heh heh). I want to know, and I want to understand, both. I am book smart, and I am world smart--not world-experienced, necessarily, but world-smart. I can see situations fairly clearly. I can deduce things logically. I can remove myself from emotion and see the big picture. I can empathize and argue. I can disagree and concede. I can explain motivations and situations rather accurately. I can be unmoved if need be.
But there are some things that I know I will never know or understand. not in this lifetime. Not yet. And I have learned to be okay with the not-knowing. I have learned that I will not--I cannot--know everything right now, and I am secure. And this, my chickens, is what I want to teach you.
We are to seek knowledge--"by learning and by faith"--and yes, it means what it says: both avenues are crucial! Seek your knowledge in books. Find out your whys and wherefores and howcomes in the vast library of sources so advantageously available to us in this age of information. Study all about how the world works, how the earth moves, science and math, language and history. Discover how people interact, what the brain/body is capable of, why/how people fall in love, how cultures shape us (personally and globally), why some stories end happy and others don't, and where your place is in this wide world. "Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom: And with all thy getting, get understanding." So yes, with all your important, beautiful world-learned knowledge, get understanding. Seek wisdom from the source as well. Learn from scriptures and prophets and prayer and the Holy Ghost. Do not let the world convince you that this deep, spiritual wisdom is any less important or verifiable or valid than scientific facts and equations. Do not let the world persuade you that believing in a higher truth somehow sells your own brainpower short; that in following a higher knowledge you follow blindly. Do not let the world undermine your faith--a gift we carry into the world, that we are not meant to lose as the world intrudes on our childlike wonder. Do not believe the world when it declares that faith is ignorance or deception or naivete or some form of buck-passing.
They are wrong! Absolutely wrong! Faith is a living, growing, breathing thing. It is foundations and climbs. It is seeking answers and making choices and recognizing human limitations. It is marrying truth with action. It is a vital tool in our becoming. And, by its very definition, it grants limitations: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
This is faith: The combination of knowledge and limitation. The testimony and the questions. The understanding and the security that, quite simply, we do not understand everything. And that's okay. That's normal. That's real.
The world has largely forgotten this. In this age of intolerance and political correctness and blogging (and yes, the three are connected), people all too often discount their faith. They nitpick, they attack, they get offended, they criticize, they belittle.... and all of it masked beneath "a quest for knowledge." Do not allow yourself to jump on a bandwagon full of negative knowledge-hunters and spiritual bridge-burners. Do not let groups of angry or offended or insecure people cloud your understanding of the foundations of the gospel with their dissatisfaction with the fuzz on the caterpillars....on the leaves....on the twigs...on the branches... of the tree that is gospel knowledge. You either believe in the gospel or you don't. You either believe it was restored or you don't. You either believe we have a prophet or you don't. You either believe that he speaks for God, or you don't. The rest is distraction, white noise.
So quest for knowledge. Take your journeys to the ends of the earth for wisdom both earthly and spiritual... which truly are not so far apart. And with all thy getting, get understanding. Understand that you are human and that there is a Divine. Understand that some things don't make sense. That following a prophet's words even if you don't completely understand is faith, not ignorance. Not mindlessness. It is faith. Get the understanding that you will understand in time. And get the understanding that the world in its frantic-ness to challenge and disprove all that it cannot understand is not wisdom. It is arrogance. It is insecurity. It is fear. My beautiful, divine, curious, wonder-filled children, do not live afraid of untapped knowledge. Seek all that you can; and lean upon your foundation of faith for that which you cannot. Recognize the difference between what is real and what is the white noise. Be secure in your answers. And know that I know where I stand. Always. Forever. I will always want to know more. Always! And I will always stand behind the prophet of God. Always! That is where I have found security in my thirty years of trials of faith. That is my foundation. That is where my faith and wisdom connect. That is where I am unbroken.
My little children--my chickens, my fairy children--you must know something about me, with utter and complete finality: I believe we have a prophet. Here. On the earth today. And I believe--absolutely believe!--that he is the mouthpiece of the Lord.
So I begin to get nervous... then agitated... then a little hot-tempered.... then back to nervous... when I see members of the church begin to follow the tricky trends I see outside in the world in regards to how knowledge is got.
Here, let me expound. I am a smart person. The truth is that I am probably smarter than most people I know (oh boy, sorry to everyone I just pissed off with that comment. There goes my whole readership...of six!). My IQ is really high. I'm logical. I figure things out quickly and easily. I thirst for knowledge about everything. Everything! I want to know how, why, what for, where from, which way, etc, etc, etc. I do not like not knowing. I am my father's daughter. I am smart and I want to know. I have to know! So I seek truth everywhere. I seek it in books and literature, in textbooks and classes, on internet sources and in discussions. I ask questions. I study. I research. I learn. I talk to people. I change my opinions. I correct myself. Sometimes I correct others (heh heh). I want to know, and I want to understand, both. I am book smart, and I am world smart--not world-experienced, necessarily, but world-smart. I can see situations fairly clearly. I can deduce things logically. I can remove myself from emotion and see the big picture. I can empathize and argue. I can disagree and concede. I can explain motivations and situations rather accurately. I can be unmoved if need be.
But there are some things that I know I will never know or understand. not in this lifetime. Not yet. And I have learned to be okay with the not-knowing. I have learned that I will not--I cannot--know everything right now, and I am secure. And this, my chickens, is what I want to teach you.
We are to seek knowledge--"by learning and by faith"--and yes, it means what it says: both avenues are crucial! Seek your knowledge in books. Find out your whys and wherefores and howcomes in the vast library of sources so advantageously available to us in this age of information. Study all about how the world works, how the earth moves, science and math, language and history. Discover how people interact, what the brain/body is capable of, why/how people fall in love, how cultures shape us (personally and globally), why some stories end happy and others don't, and where your place is in this wide world. "Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom: And with all thy getting, get understanding." So yes, with all your important, beautiful world-learned knowledge, get understanding. Seek wisdom from the source as well. Learn from scriptures and prophets and prayer and the Holy Ghost. Do not let the world convince you that this deep, spiritual wisdom is any less important or verifiable or valid than scientific facts and equations. Do not let the world persuade you that believing in a higher truth somehow sells your own brainpower short; that in following a higher knowledge you follow blindly. Do not let the world undermine your faith--a gift we carry into the world, that we are not meant to lose as the world intrudes on our childlike wonder. Do not believe the world when it declares that faith is ignorance or deception or naivete or some form of buck-passing.
They are wrong! Absolutely wrong! Faith is a living, growing, breathing thing. It is foundations and climbs. It is seeking answers and making choices and recognizing human limitations. It is marrying truth with action. It is a vital tool in our becoming. And, by its very definition, it grants limitations: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
This is faith: The combination of knowledge and limitation. The testimony and the questions. The understanding and the security that, quite simply, we do not understand everything. And that's okay. That's normal. That's real.
The world has largely forgotten this. In this age of intolerance and political correctness and blogging (and yes, the three are connected), people all too often discount their faith. They nitpick, they attack, they get offended, they criticize, they belittle.... and all of it masked beneath "a quest for knowledge." Do not allow yourself to jump on a bandwagon full of negative knowledge-hunters and spiritual bridge-burners. Do not let groups of angry or offended or insecure people cloud your understanding of the foundations of the gospel with their dissatisfaction with the fuzz on the caterpillars....on the leaves....on the twigs...on the branches... of the tree that is gospel knowledge. You either believe in the gospel or you don't. You either believe it was restored or you don't. You either believe we have a prophet or you don't. You either believe that he speaks for God, or you don't. The rest is distraction, white noise.
So quest for knowledge. Take your journeys to the ends of the earth for wisdom both earthly and spiritual... which truly are not so far apart. And with all thy getting, get understanding. Understand that you are human and that there is a Divine. Understand that some things don't make sense. That following a prophet's words even if you don't completely understand is faith, not ignorance. Not mindlessness. It is faith. Get the understanding that you will understand in time. And get the understanding that the world in its frantic-ness to challenge and disprove all that it cannot understand is not wisdom. It is arrogance. It is insecurity. It is fear. My beautiful, divine, curious, wonder-filled children, do not live afraid of untapped knowledge. Seek all that you can; and lean upon your foundation of faith for that which you cannot. Recognize the difference between what is real and what is the white noise. Be secure in your answers. And know that I know where I stand. Always. Forever. I will always want to know more. Always! And I will always stand behind the prophet of God. Always! That is where I have found security in my thirty years of trials of faith. That is my foundation. That is where my faith and wisdom connect. That is where I am unbroken.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
I have been doing some research....
Pixie (Wikipedia): "In traditional regional lore, they are generally benign, mischievous, short of stature and attractively childlike; they are fond of dancing and gather outdoors in huge numbers to dance, or sometimes wrestle, through the night... Pixies are said to reward consideration and punish neglect on the part of larger humans. By their presence they bring blessings to those who are fond of them.... They are also prone to...violent mood swings and temper tantrums.... Wildly rambunctious tricksters...."
Oh bless me, I'm running a halfway house for the fae! Somebody get me a rowan branch!
Oh bless me, I'm running a halfway house for the fae! Somebody get me a rowan branch!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
A Few Things
1. I changed my hair. I have come to accept--maybe I should say my hubby has come to accept--that I still have some wandering teenager in me. It comes out in my hair and jelly bracelets. I have decided that I'm okay with that. And maybe I'm that dorky 30 year-old trying to stay young and hip, but then I guess that's that. Someday someone will work up the courage to tell me so; until then, I'll go on in my delusions.
2. I am addicted to cuties these days. Seriously, how much is too much to spend on tiny oranges in a week? We're eating them like candy over here!
3. These kids are cute....and driving me a little bonkers. Coren has spent more time than I care to admit in time out in the last couple of days, only because he is of the opinion that it is uber-fun to make his sister scream every ten minutes or so. I got sick of scolding, so I just stuck him on the couch in an indefinite time-out last night. And again this morning. Yep, good parenting skills, I know. I rock. Risa is at this stage of constantly demanding--literally constantly!--anything and everything, over and over! Drinks, snacks, blankets, dolls, dishes, more drinks. Aaah! Really, how are there not more moms out there snapping and going nuts?? I'm blaming this all on the end of a looong, cooold winter and the coming of spring right around the corner. We're cabin-fevered and antsy and fed up, I think, so I'll give my chickens that and, oh, I don't know, throw them a tea party or something (report to come on my next blog).
4. Eating healthy is hard when it's day after day! I know, shocker, but it really is! Even after I'm seeing results, I still have to convince myself daily that no, I don't need that cookie or that slice of cake or that second helping of pasta. Oy! But I feel better, so the health peeps are right again. Go health peeps!
5. Also, have I told you much about my son's condition. His hands are always, always going! Yep, it's Alien Hand Syndrome, and it's pretty severe. Poor child never stops--really quite exhausting to watch him all day.... Okay, and hilarious. He's really rather hilarious, that one. Very much a demonstrative and animated baby!
(Well, I had a video uploaded, but it's not working, so that's that. I'll try again when my techno-hubby is home.)
6. And I can see my lawn for the first time in months. The grass is dead, but it's there! The first tulip buds are breaking through the ground. Ooh, will we actually have spring again? I'm holding my breath!
Friday, March 8, 2013
My New Project
Well, I've begun a new project... Or rather, I should say that I've jumped onto the chariot of a project already in motion by a lovely and dear friend of mine. We've started a writing blog.
Yes, a writing blog. A blog dedicated to all like-minded amateur writers who feel like they need a good kick in the pants to take their writing from its present plateau to the next level. So we have prompts, and we post our creations. We give constructive advice, and we discuss the methods of writers we admire....
Or, at least, this is what we'll be doing when all the cogs and gears start turning smoothly. The blog was only just created this month, and so is still on its new legs, so to speak. If any of you, my vast audience of five or so, are interested, ALL ARE WELCOME! Truly! We ultimately want this to be a creative space for multiple and varied voices, so we can learn from each other and expand our own little voices together. If you are interested, let me know! Post a comment here, or email or Facebook me. Whatever! It's very low-key and supportive, and we don't want anyone to feel stressed by it, so come be part of a no-pressure writing team! And everyone's goals are different as well--some want to write novels, and others just want to be better bloggers. So there's a place for you, I guarantee it!
Anyway, here's my first post for the blog. The prompt--it being our first--was kind-of a get-to-know-you prompt, about why we write and how we started. So here's my little spiel. Peace!
http://whisperingsofwildminds.blogspot.com/.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Not Even Gonna Try
Well, I've gone far too long without a post to play catch-up at this point. Onward!
At the roll-around of a new year, there have been many... emotions on my mind. We had a tough Christmas this time around--Lovely, but tough. Nothing life-shattering, or even life-altering; but there was plenty of stress to go around! The funny thing was that the stress all came from blessings--good things we were grateful for, but that stressed us out all the same:
-Job-program graduations and subsequent promotions
-Baby surgeries
-Book-writing deadlines
-Etc
These all hit us in December, and while some things we coped with just as easy as pie (Haakon's in-and-out surgery was a breeze, really), other things kept us up till 3 and 4 in the a.m. And then some things kept my husband up even longer--nights of insomnia. He has yet to find some really spectacular coping mechanisms. :)
But it was also my favorite time of the year--even despite all the hectic-ness. So while we worried and worked and stressed and fretted, we savored and loved and planned and enjoyed. It was really quite a delicious juxtaposition, and I'm glad for it. Truly! Because with the worry came the constant reminders of goodness around me, and that was something splendid to behold during Christmastime.
And now we are well into the new year. And life is less stressful... in some ways. The hubby still frets about his new and unfamiliar position, with all the new responsibilities that entails. But he also sleeps deeply at night. I'm still writing books with overwhelming deadlines, but it brings in extra checks that make my favorite little home projects attainable. And my kids drive me nuts on a daily basis in this frigid winter wasteland, where there is no outside escape for any of us. But they exude cleverness that catches me laughing at every turn.
And I love this (sometimes stressful) life!
At the close and opening of another year, I am still so deeply satisfied with what I have that I really feel that everyone else doesn't have it nearly as lucky, and that's a shame (don't you love that self-centeredness? Sorry, but I can't do a thing about it. I live in bliss).
I love my husband. I love that he is my Neverland, my Fantasia, my New York City and my Ocean. He is all the adventures I can imagine, and he makes all my days a novel's happy ending. He still wants me powerfully, after 6 years and 30 pounds. He is my sounding board and my Jiminy Cricket. He is the sexiest man alive, and he understands and cares about my ranting madness. He loves me. Loves me in a way I have never felt but with him; loves me in a way that leaves me breathless; loves me in a way that makes me confident that I could conquer kingdoms and worlds. Man, I love this man! Fiercely, jealously, unabashedly, LOVE this man!
I love my little chickens, my monsters, my mad whirling dervishes! They are the reason for my white hairs and my laugh wrinkles both. They are a panoply of emotion--from hour to hour. They have quick minds and quick wit. Coren's giggle shakes down mountains. Risa's grin melts butter palaces, and Haakon's hands never stop moving! They are precious and savage all in a heartbeat. My chickens! They are wild mysteries that cannot be tamed (not for a lack of intense amounts of trying). They feel music. They quote movies. They ask endless questions and make endless demands. If I survive them--if they survive me--they truly will be my crowning glory in life, these chickens that I cannot hope to understand, but that have become my pumping heart and running veins; I could not live without them, Wonderland-mad and all!
And so I love this life! Please don't give me another. Here I am happy, and here I wish to stay... Bring the sleepless nights; I will take them.
At the roll-around of a new year, there have been many... emotions on my mind. We had a tough Christmas this time around--Lovely, but tough. Nothing life-shattering, or even life-altering; but there was plenty of stress to go around! The funny thing was that the stress all came from blessings--good things we were grateful for, but that stressed us out all the same:
-Job-program graduations and subsequent promotions
-Baby surgeries
-Book-writing deadlines
-Etc
These all hit us in December, and while some things we coped with just as easy as pie (Haakon's in-and-out surgery was a breeze, really), other things kept us up till 3 and 4 in the a.m. And then some things kept my husband up even longer--nights of insomnia. He has yet to find some really spectacular coping mechanisms. :)
But it was also my favorite time of the year--even despite all the hectic-ness. So while we worried and worked and stressed and fretted, we savored and loved and planned and enjoyed. It was really quite a delicious juxtaposition, and I'm glad for it. Truly! Because with the worry came the constant reminders of goodness around me, and that was something splendid to behold during Christmastime.
And now we are well into the new year. And life is less stressful... in some ways. The hubby still frets about his new and unfamiliar position, with all the new responsibilities that entails. But he also sleeps deeply at night. I'm still writing books with overwhelming deadlines, but it brings in extra checks that make my favorite little home projects attainable. And my kids drive me nuts on a daily basis in this frigid winter wasteland, where there is no outside escape for any of us. But they exude cleverness that catches me laughing at every turn.
And I love this (sometimes stressful) life!
At the close and opening of another year, I am still so deeply satisfied with what I have that I really feel that everyone else doesn't have it nearly as lucky, and that's a shame (don't you love that self-centeredness? Sorry, but I can't do a thing about it. I live in bliss).
I love my husband. I love that he is my Neverland, my Fantasia, my New York City and my Ocean. He is all the adventures I can imagine, and he makes all my days a novel's happy ending. He still wants me powerfully, after 6 years and 30 pounds. He is my sounding board and my Jiminy Cricket. He is the sexiest man alive, and he understands and cares about my ranting madness. He loves me. Loves me in a way I have never felt but with him; loves me in a way that leaves me breathless; loves me in a way that makes me confident that I could conquer kingdoms and worlds. Man, I love this man! Fiercely, jealously, unabashedly, LOVE this man!
I love my little chickens, my monsters, my mad whirling dervishes! They are the reason for my white hairs and my laugh wrinkles both. They are a panoply of emotion--from hour to hour. They have quick minds and quick wit. Coren's giggle shakes down mountains. Risa's grin melts butter palaces, and Haakon's hands never stop moving! They are precious and savage all in a heartbeat. My chickens! They are wild mysteries that cannot be tamed (not for a lack of intense amounts of trying). They feel music. They quote movies. They ask endless questions and make endless demands. If I survive them--if they survive me--they truly will be my crowning glory in life, these chickens that I cannot hope to understand, but that have become my pumping heart and running veins; I could not live without them, Wonderland-mad and all!
And so I love this life! Please don't give me another. Here I am happy, and here I wish to stay... Bring the sleepless nights; I will take them.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Endorsements
I need to play catch-up, I know... But some project always jumps into my lap before I've settled into my seat in front of the computer, and I have to get right back up and take care of it. And so my little blog sits, neglected and forlorn.
But here I am! And am I using this blue-moon moment to catch up? Of course not! Because I'm Charity. And I'm a little bit ridiculous!
But there are just a few things from this past month that have really filled me with delight. And I thought it only appropriate, at this time of year when we seek out delightful things, to suggest them to all six of you that read my blog. :) Go check 'em out--any of 'em--and I can (almost) promise that wonder and delight will ensue....
And so here, in no particular order, are my endorsements for the month... and the year.... and (because a few of them are so lovely to me) the span of a lifetime....
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
by Catherynne M. Valente
Okay, if the name and the cover alone don't make you want to pick this book up and read it (well, then you're strange!)... Then the writing absolutely will! This was my first exposure to Catherynne M. Valente's work, and I was immediately smitten! It is beautiful and lyrical and whimsical and fun and deep, all at the same time. It is a fun and fantastical adventure, and yet it pulls you--the characters have depth, there is something at stake, and you love the characters. As soon as I finished this book, I recommended it to everyone! And I went in search of the author's other works as well. I bought The Habitation of the Blessed on a whim, simply because it was hers...I was not disappointed. That one, an adult book rather than YA lit, was just as beautiful, infinitely deep. Ah! She is like the female fantasy version of Ray Bradbury!
And this little baby came out in September, and I've been holding off--I'm getting both for Christmas, so I'm waiting to read the first one again before I read this second one. But my heart is a-flutter to continue the adventure!
Catherynne M. Valente--Go read her stuff. She has something to say.
Oh, what can I say?! You know that scene in BIG, where he goes to FAO Shwartz and it's like a life-sized Candyland to play in? Or in Home Alone 2?
Well, Blickenstaff's is kinda like that...that sense of being in toy heaven... but with the intimate cozy feeling of The Shop Around the Corner. We walked in, and my kiddos were instantly enthralled! Coco went running around, collecting all the giant stuffed animals he could get his hands on, setting them up in a circle and showing us his "friends."
Our Bear, on the other hand, never left the front of the store. Right when you walked in, just ten feet from the doors, was a small wooden dollhouse, full of furniture and those tender little Calico Critter families (which I remember so fondly because my sister owned a bunch of them twenty years ago now). Well, as soon as she saw that house, that was that. For the hour that we played in the store, she never left that spot, never even looked to see if we were still there (though we kept our eyes on her, of course). Totally, blissfully oblivious!
And my honey and I were kids again... We played with all the wind-up toys and the old-school knick knacks. We had to pick up everything we saw and show it to the other, with comments like, "Wouldn't this be perfect for..." "We really need this because..." Oh, if Willy Wonka were a toymaker.... Anyway, I think Santa will be stuffing our stocking with Blickenstaff's! And if you want to check out their delightsome selections yourself, go and visit! And if you don't live in Utah, go to Blickenstaffs.com. You won't be disappointed! You'll be a giddy schoolgirl/boy, for crying out loud!
But here I am! And am I using this blue-moon moment to catch up? Of course not! Because I'm Charity. And I'm a little bit ridiculous!
But there are just a few things from this past month that have really filled me with delight. And I thought it only appropriate, at this time of year when we seek out delightful things, to suggest them to all six of you that read my blog. :) Go check 'em out--any of 'em--and I can (almost) promise that wonder and delight will ensue....
And so here, in no particular order, are my endorsements for the month... and the year.... and (because a few of them are so lovely to me) the span of a lifetime....
by Catherynne M. Valente
Okay, if the name and the cover alone don't make you want to pick this book up and read it (well, then you're strange!)... Then the writing absolutely will! This was my first exposure to Catherynne M. Valente's work, and I was immediately smitten! It is beautiful and lyrical and whimsical and fun and deep, all at the same time. It is a fun and fantastical adventure, and yet it pulls you--the characters have depth, there is something at stake, and you love the characters. As soon as I finished this book, I recommended it to everyone! And I went in search of the author's other works as well. I bought The Habitation of the Blessed on a whim, simply because it was hers...I was not disappointed. That one, an adult book rather than YA lit, was just as beautiful, infinitely deep. Ah! She is like the female fantasy version of Ray Bradbury!
Catherynne M. Valente--Go read her stuff. She has something to say.
Oh, what can I say?! You know that scene in BIG, where he goes to FAO Shwartz and it's like a life-sized Candyland to play in? Or in Home Alone 2?
Well, Blickenstaff's is kinda like that...that sense of being in toy heaven... but with the intimate cozy feeling of The Shop Around the Corner. We walked in, and my kiddos were instantly enthralled! Coco went running around, collecting all the giant stuffed animals he could get his hands on, setting them up in a circle and showing us his "friends."
Our Bear, on the other hand, never left the front of the store. Right when you walked in, just ten feet from the doors, was a small wooden dollhouse, full of furniture and those tender little Calico Critter families (which I remember so fondly because my sister owned a bunch of them twenty years ago now). Well, as soon as she saw that house, that was that. For the hour that we played in the store, she never left that spot, never even looked to see if we were still there (though we kept our eyes on her, of course). Totally, blissfully oblivious!
And my honey and I were kids again... We played with all the wind-up toys and the old-school knick knacks. We had to pick up everything we saw and show it to the other, with comments like, "Wouldn't this be perfect for..." "We really need this because..." Oh, if Willy Wonka were a toymaker.... Anyway, I think Santa will be stuffing our stocking with Blickenstaff's! And if you want to check out their delightsome selections yourself, go and visit! And if you don't live in Utah, go to Blickenstaffs.com. You won't be disappointed! You'll be a giddy schoolgirl/boy, for crying out loud!
Coraline
Well, this movie's been around our house for a few years now. Another instant love.... I knew we were destined to be soulmates before I even saw the movie. How could I possibly know? Well, put together two of my favorite people--Neil Gaiman and Henry Selick--and how could it not be complete and utter obsession?! And it was! First of all, for those of you who haven't read the book, read it! Yes, you can even read it right before you watch the movie, and it will not ruin either for you. Yep, it's that good! The story has my favorite kind of otherworldly, fun but macabre feel to it; and the movie mimics that feeling perfectly. The music is superb. The voices are spot on... and that Coraline! What a little spitfire! Really, one of the most wonderfully realized animated (it counts as an animated film, right) characters ever, in my opinion. A favorite of mine and Coco's and my sister's, it's sure to be a classic!
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Since we're on the topic of stop-animation films, here's another beauty! This one's rougher, simpler in its creation, and it's still totally.... well, fantastic! You just can't go wrong with Wes Anderson anyway. And this, his first foray into animated films, still captures all the genius that his movies do. It's fun and quirky and light and deep and rich and layered and funny. It entertains kids and adults alike, and on both levels. Really a treasure, this one! You've got to give it a chance sometime!
And yes, Cherry Sours!
Random, I know, but I discovered these little beauties over the summer, when I needed a good road trip candy. Oh man! Instant addiction! These are the perfect candy, I've decided... just the right amount of tartness, soft and chewy, melt in your mouth. Oh boy, this is making me want to drive off to the store just to pick some up. I have to be oh-so-careful with how often I allow myself to buy these because once the bag is opened, it is eaten almost entirely by yours truly. I try to save one or two for my honey and the kiddos, but I can't ever guarantee they'll get them. Like a little taste of perfection on your tongue! And a whole lot less guilt than a bag of chocolate peanuts.
A Christmas Carol
And finally, because it is Christmastime, you should all pull out your bent and dusty copy of A Christmas Carol. Yes, I'm talking about the book. It's small enough that it only takes a couple of hours of your entire month, and yet it's the perfect way to really get yourself into the holiday season--into the mankind-loving, serving, blessing-acknowledging, basking side of the season. Which, let's be honest, is the very best part! So go read it! And then, yes, go watch the movie--and really, there are so many lovely versions out there! My preferred version is, of course, A Muppet Christmas Carol (which also happens to be my all-time favorite Christmas movie)... Michael Caine never disappoints; really great music; the quintessential Santa character, in my opinion (I'm sure you that have seen it know to whom I am referring); and, obviously, the Muppets, who I just really adore! My December is not complete without it. And actually, I usually save it till Christmas Eve--it's that tender for me! But if you're not a Muppet fan, well, you're crazy, first of all. :) But then go find another version. We were actually really impressed with the Disney one from a couple years ago--you know, that one with Jim Carrey that didn't get spectacular reviews....It's spot-on with the novel; and yes, though a little dark for kids, it still teaches the message wonderfully. Even Mickey's Christmas Carol is tender and heartfelt, all 25 minutes of it! Just get out there and find one, and bask in what it truly means to "keep Christmas well." Then go do it!
Happy Christmas, one and all! Go pick up a good book, or watch a good movie, or listen to a good album, and enjoy the season! Before you know it, you'll be taking your tree back down, and the magic will be over. So savor it! I certainly will be!
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